Post by robotmoth on Feb 19, 2015 16:35:17 GMT -8
A little bit of random info, but there's little online as reference re polyps in gerbils and so hopefully someone might find this useful...
My little male gerbil Jack is 3 now and last month had surgery for a scent gland tumour. He recovered really well and was doing fine.
Then this week I spotted a mass protruding from his mouth. When I checked him, it looked as if it had disappeared but on closer inspection, it was inside his mouth and had obviously just poked out a bit at that initial moment.
I took him to the vets the next day and they confirmed what I'd thought and I agreed for them to give him some gas today and investigate properly. The vet said they might be able to remove part of the mass to make Jack more comfortable.
Today he had his surgery and they were able to remove it all.turned out to be a polyp on his tongue. Unfortunately the vet has said it's likely to grow back,but I feel now that at least he's not distressed by it and has an increased life span too.
The polyp was a fleshy mass, sort of pinkish white - humans can suffer from them too. Often they grow in the ears of gerbils but can appear on any mucous membrane - like nose or in jacks case, his mouth. In ears they can cause balance problems and irritation. Jack was eating less and chewing less card (he's normally mad for it) & so I noticed a difference and checked him over.
There was no clicking sound as when I've had previous gerbils suffering with RIs but I suppose it depends on the individual animal and where the growth is.
If left, it would have eventually prevented him eating and probably obstructed his breathing.no choice for me - he's my little buddy and I had to get him sorted as much as viable.
He's doing really well now - small stitch in his tongue but he's already eating again and seems ok, if a little sleepy from the anaesthetic.
I'm lucky to have a good vet who really knows their stuff but would recommend any gerbil owner getting this sort of thing checked out by a vet. Yes it's not cheap, but that's part and parcel of having pets and it's your duty of care.
I know my animals very well, but gerbils are tenacious little things and often don't show symptoms of illness until they're really poorly. Vets are trained and qualified to deal with this - ideally find a small animal specialist or look for a recommendation.
My little male gerbil Jack is 3 now and last month had surgery for a scent gland tumour. He recovered really well and was doing fine.
Then this week I spotted a mass protruding from his mouth. When I checked him, it looked as if it had disappeared but on closer inspection, it was inside his mouth and had obviously just poked out a bit at that initial moment.
I took him to the vets the next day and they confirmed what I'd thought and I agreed for them to give him some gas today and investigate properly. The vet said they might be able to remove part of the mass to make Jack more comfortable.
Today he had his surgery and they were able to remove it all.turned out to be a polyp on his tongue. Unfortunately the vet has said it's likely to grow back,but I feel now that at least he's not distressed by it and has an increased life span too.
The polyp was a fleshy mass, sort of pinkish white - humans can suffer from them too. Often they grow in the ears of gerbils but can appear on any mucous membrane - like nose or in jacks case, his mouth. In ears they can cause balance problems and irritation. Jack was eating less and chewing less card (he's normally mad for it) & so I noticed a difference and checked him over.
There was no clicking sound as when I've had previous gerbils suffering with RIs but I suppose it depends on the individual animal and where the growth is.
If left, it would have eventually prevented him eating and probably obstructed his breathing.no choice for me - he's my little buddy and I had to get him sorted as much as viable.
He's doing really well now - small stitch in his tongue but he's already eating again and seems ok, if a little sleepy from the anaesthetic.
I'm lucky to have a good vet who really knows their stuff but would recommend any gerbil owner getting this sort of thing checked out by a vet. Yes it's not cheap, but that's part and parcel of having pets and it's your duty of care.
I know my animals very well, but gerbils are tenacious little things and often don't show symptoms of illness until they're really poorly. Vets are trained and qualified to deal with this - ideally find a small animal specialist or look for a recommendation.
